cc: file, Mom, Sara and Des, Lloyd and Luana Warner, Darrell and Nancy Krueger, Charles and Diane Cluff, and Claude and Katherine Warner, Forest and Amy Warner, Ivan and Chell Warner, and Eric and Renee Miner
"One of my favorite hymns has always been `Count Your Blessings.' Hopefully each of you kids remember it, and so I won't quote it (if you don't remember, it is #158 in the Hymnal). In singing it to myself this week, I realized how many wonderful blessings we have as individuals and as a family. These thoughts were enhanced by something that happened in Austin on Monday night (Roice's 22nd birthday).
As I pulled up to McDonalds for a grilled chicken sandwich for dinner, Marti called with a problem with NetScape on the Sun workstation. She said, `Your Sun is down again.' Roice had not shown up for his birthday lunch, it turned out because of the cold weather and motorcycle transportation, and I heard `Your son is down again.' Roice really isn't down much, but he was down a little bit last week when we went out to lunch. Once we got through the communication barrier, I talked her through fixing the network and getting NetScape back up, got my sandwich and large orange juice and headed for the La Quinta Motel. I saw a Texaco service station and decided to fill up with gas for the ride back to Houston on Wednesday. In my compulsive way, I wanted to have an even 10 cents on the bill, and I topped the tank off a couple of times to get there. Paid for the gas, and got some trail mix for dessert. Then I pulled the Saturn out to the stop light to turn onto the main street. It missed, and missed, and missed. Sounded just like a tractor with dirt in the fuel line. Then it stopped. I could not get it to start. So I pushed it back into the service station parking lot and called Saturn's road-side assistance. They said my warantee was out by 500 miles and 35 days, but agreed to arrange for a tow truck to pick up the car. I called Marti and got the extended warantee number and ate my sandwich.
Finally the tow truck came, after two conversations with the folks in California. He didn't want to take me and my clothes the mile to the Motel, but he finally agreed to. I walked the two miles to the Bureau the next morning. That's about like walking from Grandma Nelson's house to the Bowling Alley and back. It was cold. It felt good. I sang `When upon life's billows you are tempest tossed, When you are discouraged thinking all is lost, Count your many blessings every doubt will fly, and you will be singing as the days go by.' Maybe it is pride, or maybe it is not knowing anyone very well, but I walked back to the motel that night (by way of McDonalds), and back to the Bureau the next morning. The engine was losing compression in one of the cylinders and they needed to keep the car to take the engine apart. A rental car was arranged for, and Roice and I made it home as planned about 8:30 Wednesday evening, grateful for transportation and to have everyone home for Thanksgiving.
There are so many little things to be grateful for. So many things we seldom notice. It is wonderful to have transportation! To have good health! To live in a free country! To have the gospel! To have competencies that people are willing to pay for! To have Paul's missionary farewell talk next Sunday! To have love for and from you kids and family! To have received nice supporting e-mails from Chuck, Roice III, and Darrell. Etc., Etc., Etc. Thanks to all of you for being part of my life!"